Dhaka: President of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury on Tuesday said former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain should be made a minister again to restore his dignity.

In a statement, he said, “Since Syed Abul Hossain was relieved of his ministerial responsibility based on wrong information, he should be reinstated as a minister to uphold his dignity.”  

Besides, he said, “The country’s people think the Anti Corruption Commission should give a statement admitting its mistake for harassing Syed Abul Hossain and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury.”

B Chowdhury, also a former President, issued the statement as a Canadian court dismissed the World Bank’s corruption allegation in Padma Bridge project.

The Canadian court on Friday dismissed the graft allegation in the Padma Bridge project and acquitted three business executives of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.

On June 29, 2012, the World Bank (WB) had cancelled its $1.2 billion fund commitment for the construction of Padma Bridge bringing graft allegations, forcing the government to implement the project with its own fund.

Earlier on October 11, 2011, the global lender suspended its funds for the project raising corruption allegations against the some officials, including then Communications Minister Abul Hossain.

Amid the allegation, Abul Hossain was moved to the newly carved Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry.

24 days after the WB cancelled its deal, Abul Hossain resigned from the ICT ministry apparently under pressure to get the loan revived. He, however, always denied the corruption allegation brought against him.

On December 17, 2012, the ACC filed the case of “conspiracy for corruption in the Padma Bridge project” against seven people including Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan. The ACC also kept the names of Abul Hossain and former state minister Abul Hasan as suspects.

On October 26, 2014, a Dhaka court acquitted all the seven government officials including former bridges division secretary Mosharraf Hossain who were accused of corruption in the Padma bridge project, 53 days after Anti-Corruption Commission cleared them of the graft charges.